Walk 10: Bochel Circuit.

Distance: 6.2 miles (10 km).

Start: GR 219 258. Tombae Quarry car park, near Tomnavoulin

Route: Excellent varied walk with attractive views of the surrounding hills. Mostly farm, hill and forest tracks which can wet and muddy in places. Exposed in sections. Can be extended by including an ascent of the Bochel or by linking with walk 3 to make a much longer 13 mile, 22 km walk. Allow 3-4 hrs (for the Bochel circuit)

Access information: Livestock may be present on some sections at any time of the year,

An excellent walk, through farmland, ancient birch woods, moorland and forest, which provides good opportunities for seeing a variety of wildlife. The route can also include an ascent of the Bochel (from the Gaelic ` Bauchaille' meaning shepherd or guardian), a prominent hill which marks the entrance to the Braes of Glenlivet from the north, the summit of which provides some outstanding views of the Braes and the surrounding hills.

From the quarry and car park, follow the public road south eastwards to Tombae house. Leave the road and cross the stile at the gate, following the farm track which heads downhill through the trees, before crossing the River Livet at a metal bridge. Just after the bridge, turn westwards and cross the Crombie water at a less substantial wooden bridge. Continue south eastwards at the edge of the farm fields, following the southeast bank of the Crombie, to another footbridge over the river, south of the Tullich. This bridge marks the junction of the paths which circle the Bochel and from here the circuit can be completed in either direction. The following description is of the clockwise route. (If you are extending the walk, linking it with Walk 3 it is recommended to use the anticlockwise route around the Bochel, joining Walk 3 at Badievochel, then following it in reverse, past Achnascraw to the Burnside of Thain. From here cross the open moor, using the track that eventually joins the Livet path by the river. When you reach the river Livet turn left on to the path returning downstream to Allanreid along riverside track. At Allanried (see Walks 3 and 4) follow the public road back to Tombae quarry car park or alternatively cross the footbridge across the Livet near the car park and head uphill through the field past the Glack, to pick up walk 10 again, turning northwards and completing the anticlockwise circuit of the Bochel).

To continue the Bochel circuit from the Bridge over the Crombie, cross the footbridge and head up through the birch trees to join the track in the woods. Follow this track south eastwards until you emerge from the birch trees, then continue in the same direction across the open heather moor at the base of the steep north side of the Bochel. Here the route looks onto the steep north face of the Bochel sometimes used by a local paragliding club when conditions are suitable.

Around the base of the hill the slopes are clad with remnants of the once more expansive birch and mixed deciduous woodlands that once covered much of the countryside. Many of these semi-natural woodlands that have survived forest clearance are now protected as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and support a rich and diverse flora and fauna. Much effort is now being put into the management of areas like this to ensure that they are protected and allowed to extend their range, so providing habitat for many upland plants and animals.

Cross the shoulder between Carn Tullich and the Bochel, then continue south eastwards alongside a hill fence to the point where Walk 10 merges with Walk 3 above the Glack farmhouse. Here the view opens up into the Braes of Glenlivet, an area as steeped in history as in stories of whisky smuggling which gave the area such notoriety (see Walk 3).

Upstream from the lower reaches or "strath" of many Highland rivers lies the steeper slopes and hill pastures often called the "braes".Though high lying, remote and surrounded by hills the Braes of Glenlivet once supported a much larger population, originally attracted here by the fertile upland pastures used as "sheilings" to fatten cattle during summer months. The seclusion of the Braes and the variety of routes onto the hills subsequently made the area as attractive to whisky smugglers as to the catholics who struggled to survive here during the Reformation (see Walk 2).

You may well see the overgrown remains of "sheals" or sheilings ("sgalan" or "bothan" in the Gaelic), which can be found near the path. These crude, turf roofed dwellings built as summer residences by cattle herdsman and their families are now reduced to low circular piles of stones. The earliest of these sheiling remains which are scattered throughout the Braes, date back to medieval times, but some of them were still in use during the eighteenth century.

The remains of once busy households can be seen scattered in the landscape, a testament to the many families who at one time made their living in this now depopulated area. There were no forceful clearances here. Economic and social changes have caused a gradual emigration over the last few centuries. Today there are still many difficulties facing the families who still live here not least the long, cold, snowy and frequently bitter winter weather. To include an ascent of the Bochel head southwest from the point where Walk 10 meets Walk 3 up the fairly uniform slope to the summit (491m). To rejoin Walk 10, head south eastwards from the top, downhill to the corner of the fold in the Bochel wood plantation, then continue westwards along the track through the trees.

Avoiding this ascent, continue southwards along the track which merges with numerous sheep walks as it skirts the base of the hill, the views from here are almost as expansive as they are from the top. Though open and exposed this is sheep and cattle country, encompassed by the heather clad slopes of the Ladder Hills, themselves backed by the wild and remote landscapes of the Glenfiddich and Blackwater deer forests, and the Donside Glens of Glenbuchat, Glennochty and Glenernan.

Just before the cottage of Badievochel, at the junction of several farm tracks, turn westwards and follow the track which leads to the Bochel wood plantation. Follow the path westward, through the plantation turning northwards to join the Braes road after crossing the Crombie Water. Just where the forest road joins the main road a large stone sits on top of a plinth. A close look at the stone will reveal the initials `W. G.` and the date `1710` scratched into the rock. This was reputedly done by a William Gordon former tenant of Nether Auchnarrow a nearby farm, who seems to have been an early graffiti artist ! Turn right onto the main road and continue past the Kirkie, a small cottage at the apex of a sharp bend of the road. This small building was originally built as a place of worship for the Protestant residents of the Braes. As the road crosses a bridge just the other side of the bend, turn right at a gate, leaving the road, to follow the farm track, which passes Refreish (an old millers cottage), before turning northwards, to run parallel with the track followed at the start of the walk on the opposite side of the glen.

Continue along this path through two gates until you reach a third metal gate about 250m before the track reaches the ruins of Delhandy. Turn right before the metal gate, leave the track and head downhill towards the Crombie, following the marked path which leads back to the footbridge near the Tullich, completing the circuit. Return to the car park along the path through the fields along the south west bank of the Crombie Water to Tombae farmhouse, then back along the road to the quarry.

Glenlivet welcomes you to explore its tracks and byways.